Nostalgic Idiot
by connielea
Summary: The rest of the evening after First Night/ Last Night SPOILERS for the Series 6 Miniepisodes - Go watch them first! Added chapter 3.
1. Chapter 1

**CAUTION: SPOILERS for the mini-episodes on series 6 DVD. Go and watch "First Night" and "Last Night" on Youtube before reading this! Go watch them even if you don't read this!**

**Not much story here, but I like these two together. Slight reference to The Room; could be read as a follow up. Chapters 1 and 2 are unchanged (just split). Chapter 3 is new.**

**I don't own these characters, or even a DVD of them. (Although I think Moffet got the title for 'First Night' from me...) **

Nostalgic Idiot

"Give me just a minute," she begged as she grabbed the silky green dress from its hanger. "I won't make us late."

The Doctor watched River disappear around the corner and let out a deep sigh. The thought that they would come back here on their last night together filled him with both warmth and pain. He wondered why he did it (although now he knew he had to do it because he had just seen that he had done it...) Maybe it was just to get that last glimpse of the beginning, the true beginning, before the inevitable end. Maybe he _was_ a Nostalgic Idiot; guilty as charged.

Faster than she promised, River came out, wearing the same dress he had seen only moments before on her older self. She had swapped her boots for a pair of sparkly high heels and he paused to relish the sight of her. So young, so innocent (well, relatively speaking...) and so eager to see the universe with him.

"Good thing there's an elevator to the top of the mountain – I'd hate to have you wear yourself out before the evening even starts." he said.

"Oooohhh..." she smiled, "You have it all planned, do you?"

"That I do," he reassured her. "First the trip to the summit to view the stars, then an intimate dinner in a little hideaway I know of, (one of the few NON chip shops), then back here for cozy cup of cocoa, and...well... I don't have the next part planned _per se_, but I have a few ideas to run by you when we get to that point..."

"Well, then, what are we waiting for?" River was half-way out the door and gave him a giddy glance. The Doctor jumped off the platform to catch up.

The stars of Calderon Beta were as magnificent as promised. The Doctor was glad that he had waited to share this experience with River. It was perfect for this, their first real night together. Sure, they had had plenty of adventures already, or at least _he_ had with an older version of her, but this was their first time alone together in her timeline.

He wanted to make it special for her, in part to make up for the 1200 consecutive life sentences she was embarking on at StormCage. This first night was his commitment to her; his promise to make her time in prison as meaningful as possible for both of them. She was in there because of him, for him, and he was determined that she would never feel abandoned or alone.

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	2. Chapter 2

Back in the TARDIS he grabbed the mugs of cocoa and said "follow me!" She wrapped an arm around his waist as they headed up the stairs and he smiled at her. "Shhh!" he warned, "Don't wake the parents."

"That could get a little tricky, sweetie, " she replied. "I'm quite the screamer, you know." She gave him a sideways glance, "Or maybe you _don't_ know that yet...?

He gave her a 'nice try' look. "That falls under the 'Spoilers' rule," he whispered.

River caught her breath as she entered the room. Compared to her dreary cell, (and the series of student rooms and sublets before that), this room felt like it was truly hers. Everything about it – the colors, the furniture, the artwork; they all felt custom made for her.

"Did you do this, sweetie?" she asked in awe.

"No, I wish I could take credit, but this is all her doing. You are the child of the TARDIS, and she wants to make you feel welcome." he said.

"I do, oh, I do. So much. She is amazing." River looked around her in wonder and smiled at the decorated ceiling. "I feel like I've lived here for years already."

"Well, you have, sort of, there's that whole out-of-sequence timeline we've been talking about. This is your home, now, as well as in the past and the future." he explained.

She wandered about, examining treasures while the Doctor settled in on the chaise lounge in the alcove. He put their cocoa on the table, and bent one leg along the back of the chaise while stretching the other out nearly to the edge. He mentally thanked the TARDIS for comfortable furniture as he leaned back and watched her explore.

River took in his relaxed and open pose, "So," she asked gently, "is this your room too?"

He took a breath. "It's complicated," he replied. "Let's just say that I spend a great deal of time in here. There's another room that might be considered 'mine' but it's starting to look more like a closet."

The Doctor watched her reaction closely. He had a pretty good idea of why this particular night was so nostalgic for them, but he wasn't completely sure. River always talked a bold game, and he didn't want to push her further than she was ready to go.

Then again, she had just recently destroyed the universe out of love for him. That might be a good indicator.

River picked up her cocoa and joined him on the chaise. He started to move his legs but she stopped him, "No, no, you're fine. I like it like this, leaning against you. This is nice."

"Yes, yes it is." he smiled. They sat in silence, enjoying the connection. Out-of-sequence timelines were irrelevant in the quiet moments.

She turned toward him and leaned against his bent leg, finding a resting spot for her chin on his knee. She put down her cocoa and gently laid her hand on his other leg. He felt the competing warmth and a sudden wave of desire.

"So," she said with perfect timing, "About those ideas you wanted to run by me..."

"Come here!" he growled.


	3. Chapter 3

River's enthusiasm was plentiful. Her first night was everything the Doctor had planned, and more. He needn't have worried about pushing her too far – as usual, she was several steps ahead of him and had obviously spent _a lot _of time thinking about it. They shared the joy of discovery and rediscovery until even the TARDIS' gift of lowered gravity and increased oxygen was no longer enough for another round.

They lounged in bed and stared at the ceiling as the Doctor explained the meaning behind the symbols the TARDIS had chosen.

"So that one there," she pointed, "Is it Truth, or Clarity?" Her knowledge of Gallifreyan was impressive, but she lacked the benefit of being raised in the culture.

"Actually both," he replied. "The closest translation is something like 'through Truth comes Clarity.' It is to remind us that the pursuit of Truth isn't an end unto itself, it's a beginning that leads us to greater Clarity of our roles."

She propped herself up on her elbow and began tracing the symbol over his hearts. "So, what are _our_ roles – how do we make this work?" she asked. "With our messy timelines we're never at the same point in the relationship. Do we just pop in and out of each other's lives for midnight sightseeing and booty calls?"

"Well, fortunately, it turns out we both _really_ like a bit of that," he teased, before turning earnest. "But there is so much more to it, much more to being us. Even when I didn't know who you were, I somehow _knew_. When we were apart in time and space, I couldn't shake the thought of you. I was always waiting for you; holding my breath until the next time I saw you. And you, you were so patient with me, I mean you will be. You let me find you on my own terms and at my own speed. But it was always clear that we were more than we appeared to be. I knew it, I just had to get there."

"I knew it too," she replied. "That's why the brainwashing didn't stick. The connection to you was already there – through my parents, or through the TARDIS, or through you already knowing the older me. There was no way for them to break that bond, no matter how much they trained me. We were already together."

"Clarity through Truth." the Doctor weaved his fingers through her curls.

"So, Doctor, do I usually stay for breakfast?" River asked.

"Well, it depends. I know your parents would be thrilled to see you. However, you are currently giving off an unmistakable glow, and you haven't stopped grinning for the past hour or so. It might be better if we save that little reunion until this part of the relationship is a little less, well, _new._ The last time they caught us, Rory started counting backwards in Latin, and your mother developed a new nervous tick. I know they are glad that we're together and they make all kinds of supportive "son-in-law" comments and such, but I think that facing the reality of what we've been doing makes them a bit squicky.

"Hmmm, so you're going to sneak me past the parent's room and out the door before they wake up." River summarized. "It's starting to sound a lot like a booty call."

"And fortunately, you _really_ like a bit of that." he replied.

* * *

><p>The Doctor watched as his beautiful wife slipped out of the TARDIS doors in her silky green dress. He paused to embrace the image of her older self on the way to the Singing Towers. This was the First Night, and the Last Night, and there were so many nights to treasure in between. Through Truth comes Clarity.<p> 


End file.
